Seeing the Big Picture Presented by Joan Frye Williams
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
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Both views are useful
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Why add this task when youre already so busy? More yes answers
Clearer priorities Fewer surprises Less work in the long run
Greater sense of connection Improved chances for promotion
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Todays discussion Six important big picture perspectives Things
to consider before you act Barriers to big picture thinking
Inspiring big picture thinking in others What you can do when
people get bogged down in the details
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1. Look beyond library processes to community results
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Observe and learn Patterns of library use over time What people
do after they come in contact with your services How specific
services connect to the librarys stated mission
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Visualize before you act What difference you want to make to
the people you serve the big why How this action moves you in that
direction How you will evaluate progress What else you can try if
this doesnt get you there Dont stop at If were happy, theyll
benefit.
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Dont overlook the need for a shared vision
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2. Look beyond your immediate team to your stakeholders
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Internal stakeholders Other library departments Union Board,
friends, foundation Library users
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External stakeholders Elected officials Other
city/county/campus departments Partner agencies (current and
potential) Vendors Neighbors Non-users Media
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Observe and learn Different groups stated priorities Their
patterns of action Their preferred vocabulary What gets them
excited What they do well Where their authority begins and
ends
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Visualize before you act Who will be affected by your action
How your work aligns with their interests How your path might be
smoothed by bringing them into the process Questions theyll have,
and how youll answer Dont stop at They dont get it.
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Dont overlook the people you dont usually see
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3. Look beyond situations to causes and consequences
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Observe and learn How workload, information, and decisions move
through your organization Whos responsible for what How failures
happened, and what was learned Triggers for conflict or
resistance
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Visualize before you act What problem youre trying to solve Who
else is having the same or a related problem How your action will
eliminate the problem, not just move it elsewhere Dont stop at They
need to change.
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Dont overlook preventive measures
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4. Look beyond out-of-pocket expenses to actual costs and
benefits
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Observe and learn Which tasks take the most staff time Which
projects take the most calendar time Which specialized resources
are already stretched too thin Steps and deadlines in annual budget
and grant cycles
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Visualize before you act The service payoff for taking this
action The strategic payoff for taking this action How important
this is, compared to what youre already doing What it would cost to
take a new approach instead of struggling to fix the one you have
Dont stop at Without new resources we cant do anything.
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Dont overlook what wont get done while youre working on
this
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5. Look beyond your immediate needs to the librarys broader
commitments
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Observe and learn The basics of relevant laws The basics of
relevant contracts Library policies City/county/campus policies
Long standing arrangements and traditions Go-to resource people on
these topics
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Visualize before you act What this action says about the
library and its priorities How this action aligns with the librarys
existing commitments Where higher level permissions or negotiations
might be required Dont stop at Its managements job to worry about
that.
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Dont overlook the need to prep your boss
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6. Look beyond today to the future
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Observe and learn How the community you serve is changing Where
demand is increasing, and whether you have the capacity to respond
Where demand is decreasing, and how you might scale back to make
room for new priorities Trends and fresh practices in customer
service, technology, and collection development
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Visualize before you act Likelihood that the library will be
dealing with this (or a similar) situation again in 10 minutes, 10
days, 10 months, or 10 years How youll cope if your action is a
roaring success and you dont get any new resources How you can
package this work for others to use Dont stop at I just need to get
(person or group) off my back.
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Dont overlook the power of precedent
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Barriers to big picture thinking Perfectionism Procrastination
Pessimism Fear of conflict Complacency
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To inspire big picture thinking in others, communicate Fit
Trust Caring Openness Development Ownership
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If you get bogged down in the details 1.Acknowledge Good point
2.Step back Id like to look at that in context for a minute
3.Visualize (start with one of the points outlined in previous
slides) 4.Reframe In light of what we just discussed, how can we
5.Repeat as necessary
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Its wise to see the task youre doing in its larger context
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[email protected] Lets continue the conversation Photo by
Martin Helmke
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Debuting this summer: Joan Frye Williams new Infopeople podcast
series The Practical Iconoclast
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Infopeople webinars are supported in part by the U.S. Institute
of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library
Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the
State Librarian. This material is licensed under a Creative Commons
3.0 Share & Share-Alike license. Use of this material should
credit the author and funding source.
